Fun Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat Facts For Kids

The Northern Luzon Giant Cloud rat also known as Northern Luzon Slender-tailed cloud rat, belongs to the family Muridae. It is one of the large rodents and is endemic to the islands of Luzon, Philippines. This species is known to inhabit higher branches of trees in forests. These rodents are covered with fur or hair coat which are long and rough. The color of this species is pale brown to gray with dark brown to black patches. They have small ears and a long, densely furred tail. These animals are known to live for about 13 years in captivity. These animals feed on fruits, crops, seeds, and sometimes other small rodents too. The Northern Luzon giant cloud rat length is around 27-30 in (686-762 mm) including its tail length. This species is known to be the largest species of rat. Not much information is available regarding these species as pets and about the Northern Luzon Giant cloud rat care. The birth of the young one or the pup takes place in holes in the trees and these trees could be standing or fallen ones. Just like other mammals, this species is also known to use tactile cues or physical gestures to communicate. The population of this species is vulnerable to hunting and deforestation as trees and forests are their main habitat.

It is interesting to know about this giant cloud rat, Phloeomys Pallidus as it is scientifically known and if you are interested, read about ghost bat facts and red bat facts too.

‍

What type of animal is a Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat?

Northern Luzon Giant Cloud rat is a rat.

What class of animal does a Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat belong to?

It belongs to the class of mammals.

How many Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rats are there in the world?

There is no exact count of these rats estimated or recorded.

Where does a Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat live?

This cloud rat Phloeomys Pallidus is endemic to the Luzon island, Philippines. It can be found in the northern and central parts or provinces.

What is a Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat's habitat?

These are tree-dwelling rats and inhabit higher branches of the trees. These rats inhabit forests and scrub types habitats as well and sometimes plantations too.

Who does Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat live with?

These are often found in pairs.

How long does a Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat live?

In captivity, these cloud rats are known to live for about 13 years but the lifespan of these giant cloud rats in the wild is unknown.

How do they reproduce?

Not much information is available regarding the reproduction of this rat (Phloeomys Pallidus) as it is scientifically known. They are known to live in pairs with their young ones. The birth to the young ones takes place in holes of trees or burrows in grounds. The mothers are known to carry the young ones attached to their nipples.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of these mammals is Least Concern.

What does Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat look like?

This large-sized rodent has fur or coat covering its body which is long and rough. The color of this fur or hair or coat differs but is mostly pale brown or grayish in color and has some patches which can be dark brown to black in color. They may have a black collar and mask and it could be white in some rats.  The ears of this species are small and they have long whiskers. The tail of this species is densely furred. They are known to have large hind feet and large claws which helps them climb trees.

How cute are they?

These giant cloud rats are not considered cute.

How do they communicate?

As this species is endemic to only the Luzon islands, not much information is available regarding the communication of this Giant Cloud Rat, Phloeomys Pallidus but it is believed that like other mammals this rodent also uses physical gestures, tactile cues, and smell or scents to communicate. One thing known about these rats is that they tend to growl when irritated.

How big is a Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat?

It is believed that the Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat, Phloeomys Pallidus is the biggest rat and can be of a similar size to very small dogs. It can be around 27-30 inches (686-762 mm).

How fast can a Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat move?

These rats are not quite fast and are known to move slowly.

How much does an [animal name] weigh?

On average, these species weigh around 3.7 lb (1.7 kg) and their weight can range from 4.2-5.7 lb (1.9-2.6 kg).

What are their male and female names of the species?

The male is known as a buck and the female is known as a doe.

What would you call a baby Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat?

The baby is referred to as a pup.

What do they eat?

There is not much information available about the food habits of this species but they are known to eat fruits, crops, and young leaves. In some zoos like the Smithsonian National Zoos, they are known to feed on rodent pellets, vegetables, nuts, and greens.

Are they poisonous?

The giant cloud rat (Phloeomys pallidus) are not poisonous or harmful.

Would they make a good pet?

Not much information is available regarding these rats as pets because they are endemic to the Philippines and there are very few breeders and few worldwide zoos rearing this species.

Did you know...

This species is nocturnal and are most active at night and are known to adapt to degraded habitats and also agricultural areas.

These animals are considered to be pests mostly in rice fields.

As they mainly live in high trees or high in the canopy of trees, these are referred to as cloud rats.

In Filipino, they are referred to as bu-ot and are also known as the Northern Luzon Slender-tailed cloud rat.

Are they friendly?

These rats are known to be timid and shy and are not very friendly.

How do they compare to black rats?

The Northern Luzon Giant cloud rat size comparison to the black rats is very interesting to know as the black rats are quite smaller than these giant rats.

Black rats are more commonly found and the giant cloud rats are restricted to only Luzon.

Both the species are considered to be pests.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including black rat facts and rice rat facts.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our northern luzon giant cloud rat coloring pages.